Number of Times Seen – between 3-5 times (Cable in the 80’s and 9 Apr 2018)

Brief Synopsis – After a man in a small Indiana town witnesses strange occurrences one night, he finds clues in his mind that draws him to a secluded area of Wyoming where their will be a meeting between aliens and the US Government.

My Take on it – I am a huge fan of Steven Spielberg films and for some reason, this one never really feels good enough to be considered among his best work.

It was definitely groundbreaking at the time that it came out and is very reminiscent of some of Spielbergs’s earlier films in tone and even storywise, yet it still feels as if something is slightly missing.

The cast is great and Richard Dreyfuss is perfectly cast in the lead while successfully managing to play the “is he crazy or not” character believably.

This film does a great job of leaving clues that will answer the ultimate puzzle and they tease the meeting with the aliens really well throughout.

Unfortunately, the meeting ultimately feels like a let down due to the way it was all built up beforehand.

Great score by JOhn Williams helps make this even more mysterious and unique.

The special effects are done really well for it’s time especially since CGI wasn’t available back then.

The biggest problem with this film is that it feels as if too many of the questions posed are left unanswered which makes it harder to consider this as an amazing film.

Bottom Line – Great film that is reminiscent of other early Spielberg films, yet doesn’t seem to have as great an impact despite that. The cast is quite good here and Dreyfuss plays the is he crazy/or isn’t he role quite well. The way that the mystery of it all is teased throughout is great but the final meeting is a slight letdown due to the way it is built up until that point. Score by Williams is great to listen to. Special effects are great for it’s time, but the film leaves too many questions unanswered to be considered amazing. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – During the dinner scene just before Roy piles on the mashed potatoes, you can hear the little girl say, “There’s a dead fly in my potatoes.” This was unscripted and almost caused the rest of the cast to laugh. The scene was kept as-is. (From IMDB)

I didn’t see this when it was initially released and, being as it is one of his favourites, my husband shared it with me early in our marriage. I wasn’t impressed. I thought it odd that aliens were kidnapping humans, and everybody seemed “okay” with it. It was one of those times when the hubby regrets his decision to enter matrimony.

I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t totally adore this film. Yes, it’s highly entertaining, but honestly, I thought the Dreyfuss character was an ass. He left his kids, maybe forever! Kind of ruined it for me.